


When It Rains, It Pours

by SmileDesu



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: M/M, TW: Slurs, tw: bullying, tw: name calling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-12
Updated: 2013-09-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 07:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/923540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileDesu/pseuds/SmileDesu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the rainy season, and umbrellas are forgotten. Being considerate, caring boyfriends, Teddy and Billy are more than happy to help each other out, but who's to say everything'll go smoothly even when all they do is pick each other up after school?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It didn't rain the day before and even that morning's clouds didn't seem so terrifying. And yet when thunder cracked about lunchtime and the skies began pouring, Billy couldn't even fake surprise.  
  
"Aaaw, rain, no." Teddy whined as another thunder cracked, making the school's windows rattle and shake. "Going home's going to be a real _delight_."  
  
Billy nodded absently before glancing at Teddy. "You have practice today, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, let's hope this calms down by then... how about you? We came together, so no bike, but will you be alright? You didn't bring an umbrella, did you?"  
  
"Eh, I have it covered."  
  
Teddy narrowed his eyes and leaned closer in a would-be intimidating manner Billy couldn't help but think was adorable.  
  
"Hmmmm? You're not planning on... _zapping the rain_ , are you?"  
  
Billy's face went blank and he slowly turned away. "I neither confirm nor deny the allegations."  
  
"Dork." Teddy berated and poked Billy's side, making him wiggle with a surprised yelp.  
  
"Pot calling the kettle black."  
  
"So I'm Pot. What of it, Kettle?"  
  
"Just pointing it out." Billy concluded before checking his watch. "Time to head back. I'll see you when I see you?"  
  
Something not unlike sadness flashed through Teddy's eyes and he leaned closer to plant a kiss on Billy's cheek.  
"Don't get soaked."  
  
"Don't get your ass kicked."  
  
Teddy growled and clenched his teeth. The two parted ways to resume the school-day apart.  
  
–  
  
Even though classes were out, Billy didn't return home. He remained in school, not quite eager to go home alone in that weather without an umbrella. Numerous solutions came to mind, among them - zapping an umbrella over from home, or zap himself home, but all options left a bitter taste in his mouth - those were options Teddy wouldn't benefit from. He settled then on arming himself with an umbrella when no one was looking and bade his time until Teddy was done. At least he had that comic booklet Teddy lent him to pass the time with...  
Practice took a bit longer than usual, and Billy already waited a while by the time the players started leaving the locker-rooms. He glanced briefly at each one as they passed by him before looking back at his phone. He was beginning to feel bored and wished that- if Teddy didn't come, that _something_ interesting would happen-- and he immediately regretted it. Boredom was better compared to what came next.  
  
"Fuck off!"  
  
"No, I mean it! You were dragging around like a cripple ballerina We'd been toast if not for Greg!"  
  
"So you didn't do much either, did you?!"  
  
"I'll beat you up, I swear to God!"  
  
The loud group passed the double doors into the hall, dressed in their training suits and still flushed after shower. In the middle and looking mighty full of himself was Greg Norris, head of the student council, class president, captain of the basketball team. If Billy had to be honest, he would admit that once upon a time he had a crush on the guy, the kind of unattainable fantasy kids his age often had.  
But that was before Teddy, and that was before Billy learned what Greg did to Teddy. Greg Norris might've still looked good, but he was no longer on Billy's list of favorite people - quite the opposite.  
  
"Too bad about Teddy, though..."  
  
"Yeah, he really put up a fight. Why didn't you pick him, Greg? Make the game even easier, ha ha."  
  
A look of disdain so fierce it became disgust rose to Greg's face. "Why'd I do that? He's just a _freak_ -"  
  
"Ha! Got that right!"  
  
"You know, I never got what happened between you two. You used to be so tight, ya know?"  
  
Greg came to a stop. He seemed almost angry, but before he got to reply his eyes met Billy's, who was staring back all through the exchange.  
"What're _you_ looking at?"  
  
Billy looked away before the hostile question was growled out in full.  
  
"Hey, look, it's Teddy's new plus-one!"  
  
"Like two freak-peas in a pod."  
  
"Hey, hey, _easy_." Greg silenced his friends, but the smirk on his lips meant it wasn't because he was well-intended. He just wanted his own insults to be heard.  
"We all know Teddy'd do _anything_ to fit in-"  
  
Their eyes me again and Billy felt his stomach turn to knots.  
"Including _you_."  
  
"Heh, yeah, you know it too!"  
  
"...that's not what he meant, idiot."  
  
Billy had little attention to spare any of the small-fries. His eyes were set on Greg, his sight painting redder by the second. How _dare_ that ass talk about Teddy like that, _how dare he_ -  
  
"Oh? Looks like he has something to say! Well, out with it, _fa_ \--"  
  
The rest of it was swallowed by the sound of something cracking, then breaking, then-  
"WOAH!"  
  
"GROSS!"  
  
The ceiling gave way, dumping an impressive amount of water down on whoever was right below - which was, conveniently, Greg. He was spared any debris, but was soaked with filthy water. His friends, who for some reason were mostly spared, kept their distance as they stared. Finally murmurs began breaking out between the onlookers, and accompanied Greg as he turned on his heels back to the locker-rooms to change into something dry. He stopped once on his way and looked at Billy, accusation written on his features before it was replaced with frustration and a touch of shame. He disappeared behind the doors again, making Billy let out a sigh of relief. His attention free to roam again, all it took was a brief glance for him to realize Teddy was standing there, clad in his own training suit, bag slumped over his shoulder. He had a rather blank look on his face as he watched the scene, even when Greg passed by him. Wordlessly he walked up to Billy and said little even when they left the hall. Billy followed suit in action as well as manner, and only found his voice again after a while.  
  
"When-"  
"Did-"  
  
The two stared at each other before chuckling.  
  
"We have _got_ to stop doing that."  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
Carrying a much more comfortable silence, the two reached the main entrance. Teddy frowned at what greeted them there.  
  
"It's even worse than before." He muttered. He was fully intending to offer Billy they hid and then teleported home, only then he noticed the umbrella Billy had with him.  
"...that wasn't there before, either."  
  
Billy smiled. "Told you I had it covered."  
Umbrella open, he held it above his head and motioned for Teddy to come closer. Teddy eyed the umbrella skeptically before noticing that spark deep in Billy's eyes and the mischievous if somewhat strained smile he wore.  
  
"A man of your word." Teddy relented and the two headed for home, the rain for some reason decidedly keeping away.  
  
Though the silence was comfortable at first, the more they waited, the heavier it became, and there was no comic cliche to lighten things up this time.  
  
"Do I have you to thank for what happened back there, or...?" Teddy tried, making Billy hunch his shoulders.  
  
"If I told you I'm not sure, will you believe me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Billy nodded at first, only to frown next. "When did you walk in?" He asked, thinking for a moment how appropriate a thunder-clap would've been right then, but none was heard.  
  
"Early enough. You two only had eyes for each other, made me kind of jealous."  
Teddy received an elbow to his side for that.  
  
"Don't even _joke_ about that! Ugh, I'll be seeing that smug grin of his in my _nightmares_ \--"  
  
Teddy chuckled, a forced, hollow sound that made Billy look at him sadly.  
"Ted-"  
  
"Ah, I'm getting wet."  
  
Billy blinked before reinforcing the spell.  
"Sorry about that."  
  
"It's ok."  
  
The subtle change in mood made Billy hesitate, and in the time it took him to find the words, Teddy beat him to it.  
"Don't mind him that much."  
  
The attempt at reassurance, or avoidance, Billy couldn't tell, either way it sounded rather weak and weary and made Billy angrier than he was before.  
"He can say whatever he wants about _me_ , I'm used to worse-" Teddy frowned, but Billy went on. "It's _you_ he needs to shut up about! Hasn't he done enough?!"  
  
"I don't care what he says about me."  
  
 _That's a big, fat lie!_ Billy wanted to shout, scream, even, but it only made him notice a moment too late that Teddy came to a stop. Billy turned to face him and held the umbrella more over Teddy, for all the good it did with how little Billy was concentrating on the spell.  
Teddy looked up and the lost, pained look in his eyes hit Billy as hard as a punch to the gut. It was just the wake-up call he needed, though. Right, Teddy didn't need to be reminded of what a jerk that guy who hurt him was. He needed Billy to do something else for him, so Billy took a deep breath in - and smiled.  
  
"I heard you kicked ass. Can we care about _that_?"  
  
The lost look became one of confusion, and then broke into something better, accompanied by a hesitant smile. Teddy shook his head and pulled closer, hooking his arm with Billy's, making the umbrella shake in the process.  
"That's care-worthy, yes. About as much as the fact we're both soaked despite your best efforts."  
  
Billy nodded slowly, almost sagely and scratched his chin with his free hand.  
"I guess you'll just have to take a bath at my place and then we'll cuddle under the covers, drinking hot cocoa while we marathon something."  
  
Teddy looked like a hungry pup just offered a treat, but it only lasted a moment, after which he narrowed his eyes.  
"You planned this all along, didn't you?"  
  
"I neither confirm nor deny the allegations." Billy cooed and pulled Teddy faster towards home where he could make that day's nasty encounter be nothing more than a thing of the past, buried under better, brighter memories.  



	2. Chapter 2

Teddy pouted while watching the rain pitter-patter against his bedroom window. It was a Saturday but he was on his lonesome, having lost Billy to the vile clutches of his science-project partner.   
"Sorry, it's the only time he can meet up to work on it. I'll be back soon, I promise." Billy said and kissed Teddy's cheek before he left, supplying the blond with a bitter-sweet memory to look back at as time passed. Teddy tapped his fingers against his cheek where, if he focused, he could still feel the ticklish caress of Billy's lips and breath on his skin. Since Billy took off, Teddy managed to finish a game, made minor progress in another before giving up, was about to watch something when he realized everything he had he promised he'd wait for Billy with. He was out of comics to read, too, so when the knock on the door came he was quite grateful, even if it most likely spelled chores in his immediate future.  
On the other side of the door was Rebecca, a worried look on her face and- and umbrella in her hand? Teddy blinked.  
  
"Going somewhere, Mrs. Kaplan?"  
  
"Ah- no, not _quite_. That is-" The woman replied in a distracted manner before regaining her bearings. "Billy forgot his umbrella. Jeff's on shift at the hospital and I need to meet with a patient soon, can I ask you to deliver this to him? I'll drive you as far as I can."  
  
Teddy looked from the umbrella to her face and back.  
"But... Billy can just zap himself home", Teddy wanted to say.  
"He can magically expel the rain from himself" was another option.  
"He can _will_ himself an umbrella!" was the final straw before-  
"He's a Scarlet-Witch-level spell-caster!"  
  
He said nothing, knowing it didn't matter in light of the woman's maternal concern. Teddy thus let out a resigned sigh and nodded.  
"I'll get ready, give me a moment."  
  
Her smile was bright and grateful. "Thank you."  
  
Teddy closed the door so he could prepare, and then frowned at the weather outside.  
  
"The things I'm willing to do for you..." He muttered and fetched himself a change of clothes.  
  
–  
  
The ride even as far as the subway was as obnoxious as could be expected in that weather, and Teddy cursed every second he spent underground. Even though it was raining he dashed outside, making a run for the library. He, along with many others found refuge on the stairs leading up to the building, from the rain and a bit from the wind. The teen frowned up before looking down at himself. His level of wetness was deemed acceptable, he concluded and reached for his phone while struggling to keep from dropping the two umbrellas he was carrying. He sent Billy a text message saying he was on his way while in the car, but received no reply yet. He figured that finding Billy on his own inside was a better use of his time than freezing outside, and so he turned towards the entrance, only to come to a stop two stairs later, his eyes set on the two teens who on first glance looked familiar. He wished with all his might he was wrong before taking a second look.  
As it was, his boyfriend was the one with the wishing-powers, however, and so nothing changed the fact Teddy did recognize them - one John Kessler, and his partner in crime, the guy who usually held the bully's victims while he punched them. They weren't people Teddy was fond of even before he met Billy, but knowing the guy let alone caring for him left Teddy with zero tolerance to Kessler and his lackeys. The worst part was knowing how easy it would be to give them a taste of their own medicine, but that would mean stepping down to their level. Besides, he had better things to do, Teddy thought and was about to take his leave- when he actually heard what they were talking about.  
  
"Not gonna go inside? There's that project thing to do."  
  
"Bah, can't be assed. How about you?"  
  
"Same. Heh, hey, why not get someone to do it for us? Either they do it, or we beat them up!"  
  
"Ha! That's more my style! Who'd you think of?"  
  
"How about that Kaplan guy? I bet he misses you, been a while since you showed him some lovin'!  
  
Teddy stopped dead in his tracks. Something hot and unpleasant boiled in his chest.   
  
"Gross, are you trying to piss me off? I'm staying away from him, he's-"  
  
" _Off limits_." Teddy cut in, making the two turn to stare at him. He looked back with a calm demeanor, radiating not quite hostility but the kind of protectiveness that was enough to be intimidating. "Find someone else to be your 'partner', Billy already has one."  
  
The small guy moved to hide behind Kessler, who seemed apprehensive about facing an opponent his size. For a moment he seemed ready to make a move, but broke eye contact instead.  
"...get out of my face, Altman!" Kessler barked and marched down the stairs despite the rain. He intentionally slammed into Teddy on his way down, but by the looks of it, it hurt him more than it did Teddy by far.  
  
It was hard to say the exchange was satisfying in the least, but Teddy decided not to dwell on it. Crisis averted and all, he started on his way again, entering the sheltering building. Silence and relative warmth greeted him, and he tried to figure out the most efficient way to scour the place in search of his boyfriend. Running into Kessler left him with an uneasy sense of urgency, one he tried to ignore least he walked into people in a mad dash all over the place. Thankfully it didn't take long before Teddy found Billy, hunched over his laptop at one of the desks, a guy Teddy recognized as one of Billy's classmates next to him.   
The first thing Teddy did upon making this discovery - he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in and felt his shoulders slacking. Just because the worry itself was misplaced and arguably uncalled for mattered little; Billy was safe - thank God for small mercies.  
  
It was the classmate that noticed Teddy first, thus enabling the blond to sneak up on Billy and lightly bump the umbrella's handle over the top of his head.  
"You need to check your phone more often."  
  
Billy blinked before pulling the device out of his pocket. He snickered once he saw the text message waiting to be read.  
"'Bringing you your umbrella, I better get good spoils for this quest'. Aw, but I'm not the quest-NPC, Ted."  
  
"Foiled!"  
  
Aware of the third-wheel's presence, Billy smiled up apologetically. "We're not done, but just about. Give me ten minutes and we'll head off together?"  
  
Teddy mock-pouted. He'd have done more but the third-wheel was beginning to show signs of heightened discomfort at the exchange already. "Sure, I'll be in the reading isles, see what editions of Song of Ice and Fire they have here."  
  
"Ah- look for the Wheel of Time while you're at it!"  
  
"Right-O."  
  
Teddy kept the cheerful demeanor until he disappeared between the bookshelves. He felt it again, the need to coddle Billy, but that was neither the time nor the place, he told himself, and almost managed to believe it, but then Billy found him and the next thing he knew, Teddy was hugging him, umbrellas discarded on the floor. Billy needed a moment to get over the surprise but hugged back before long.   
  
"What did I do to deserve this?" He chuckled weakly, but when no answer came, he fell silent as well and enjoyed the embrace.  
A good while passed before a muttered, embarrassed "excuse me" ruined the moment, making the two pull apart, bashful looks on their faces while whoever it was scurried away. The distance allowed eye contact, with Billy's eye showing question and mild concern while Teddy's reflected all that along with a bit of sadness. Billy was about to ask about that when a hand rested on his cheek, and he leaned into the touch, his own hand resting over Teddy's.   
  
"Someone missed me."  
  
"Wonder who it was." Teddy countered quietly. Billy studied him before taking hold of Teddy's hand and planting a kiss in the middle of his palm.  
  
"Do you want to tell me what's up, or will I have to get it out of you?"  
  
"Good luck with that."  
  
"I have my ways."  
  
He did, Teddy knew, and smiled back. "Give me your worst."  
  
"Just you wait, when we get home..."  
Billy's eyes were narrowed and his teeth bared, a sight Teddy found to be entertaining and adorable.   
  
"Speaking of home, are we ready to make the long, _wet_ way back?"  
  
Billy snorted dismissively.  
"Teddy, please. Just because mom _thinks_ I _forgot_ my umbrella doesn't mean that's what happened."  
  
"...oh." Teddy replied simply when a flash of blue briefly filled Billy's eyes, and felt like he should've seen that one coming. "So. Home in thirty seconds?"  
  
"Already there, babe."  
  
At home, there was enough to talk about, enough to do, a bountiful amount of distractions to help keep Billy's mind off the topic at hand. Teddy saw nothing wrong with that scenario, as he saw no point in ruining Billy's good mood with this kind of talk. It didn't matter, either - Teddy would never let him hurt Billy again.  
  
"You're brooding again. I suppose I have to tickle you out of it."  
  
" _GAH_!"


End file.
